Middle East - North Africa Film Series

Veer Zaara

(2004 / 192 min.)
Directed by Yash Chopra
Discussant:  Madhavi Verma

Veer-Zaara (Hindi pronunciation: [ʋiːr zaːɾa] )is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film. It stars Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as the eponymous star-crossed lovers: Veer Pratap Singh (Khan) is an Indian Air Force officer, and Zaara Haayat Khan (Zinta) is the daughter of a Pakistani politician. Veer is imprisoned on false charges, and a young Pakistani lawyer, named Saamiya Siddiqui (Rani Mukerji), fights his case. Chopra intended the film to be a tribute to Punjab. Film is set in India and Pakistan, parts of the film were also shot in Pakistan. The soundtrack album was the highest-selling album of the year in India. The film was the highest-grossing Indian film of the year in both India and overseas territories. It received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise directed to the story, screenplay, dialogues, music, performances, and sensitive portrayal of India-Pakistan relations. It was described by analysts as having themes pertaining to a shared Punjabi culture, secularism and feminism, among others. The film received several awards.

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